Finally, Summer!

Summer has finally arrived in New Paltz. Since Friday, it has been sunny and warm and there is no rain in the forecast until Wednesday. The weather has been improving steadily for weeks now, and the rain and gloom is temporarily in our rear view mirror. Our garden may not recover, and tomatoes may be in short supply throughout the area, however. What we do have: jalapeno peppers, eggplant, cukes, onions, and now, red peppers. We have some tomatoes, but are concerned about blight. We'll see. Ken has hot packed 8 pints of pickles.

We had our work/play week off in honor of our 29th wedding anniversary. We worked HARD on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; played on Sunday and left for New York City mid-morning on Thursday. The renovation and total transformation of our downstairs room is 99% complete. It is amazing. It has gone from dark and musty, to light and airy. The closet Ken built is the biggest in the house and gives us some wiggle storage room. No more crammed winter clothes. We are now 1/3-1/2 way into the kitchen cabinet painting project. We are going from 1950's era honey stain to a vanilla paint, plus a new stove exhaust fan. Next year, we plan to put in a new stove top, countertops and a sink. That will be our kitchen renovation on the 'cheap'.

For right now, the kitchen is laid out on the table and counters and in the living room, so it's off to the Bistro for breakfast and a full day of sanding and painting. We'll send pictures! More to come!